Maternity Leave

I am due on the 26th of June and planning on going for maternity leave on the 14th. Hoping that baby will be here on or before her due date.

Rm - Thank you for letting me know. I had seriously been thinking that all this time that it was law

I remember after they said that, my colleagues and I where discussing it as it made no sense really. To restrict how you may take your leave.
Or maybe they actually said company policy and at the time with preggie brain heard something else.

I would like some me time before baby arrives, so would not want to work till the end. I think most moms are rather uncomfortable by then - and if you have a long drive to work or early rising then no ways.
Ideally I'd have liked to work from home for the last working month, and then take M/L from 37 weeks - also trying to stretch it to go back only 1st week in Jan as no one wants to go back to work when everyone else is on leave
So I plan on taking annual leave from 1- 21 Aug and then start M/L after that.

The extra time with baby is great, but the time you need to concentrate on yourself before the madness starts is also really important.

It is one of those things that you only realise afterwards, as you are rushing around with a baby and have no time to yourself - and then start thinking, I really should have taken that little bit of time just for me.

Me time is really necessary - remember after your baby is here, there really is little to no me time again ... not like ever ... but it does become a hard won commodity.

Ask any exhausted mom whether two weeks for her would be welcome, and watch her eyes glaze over in ecstacy.

Soon to be moms, really spend some time just with you - and relish the time that you are by yourself - it does not occur again after your birth date ...

I had planned to work until 38 weeks but was booked off at 36 weeks for high bp and admitted to hospital a few days later. Then for the next 3 weeks 5 days it was back and forth to the gynae so didn't get to relax much. But I'm glad I had the time to wind down from work.

But 2 weeks would probably be ideal if you're having a healthy pregnancy. Rather spend the time with baby!

My due date is 1 September, but I'm having a planned c-section round about the 20-23rd of August. I'm planning to work right up until the end and then only go back the 10th of Jan, as I want to spend as much time with my bubs as possible.

Whether this will realise is al up to little missy!

nixie - definitely agree.

Moms need the two weeks to just lie on the bed and rest their bodies before the big day. If you can afford to take the leave, try to take it, and try not to have a thousand things to do in that period, so you really can just lounge around and get some much needed R&R.